Senate Advances Public Safety Measures

2/27/2018

The Senate advanced legislation seeking to increase participation of medical professionals in the program that would place epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens) in the hands of law enforcement across the state.

Approval of Senate Bill 2226 means the recently approved Annie LeGere Law, which allows for Illinois police officers to carry and administer EpiPens on duty as an emergency measure to reverse life-threatening allergic reactions, is one step closer to implementation. Though EpiPens can mean the difference between life and death in the case of a life-threatening allergic reaction, health professionals have been hesitant to provide the prescriptions and approve the training courses without liability protection and coverage.

In response, Senate Bill 2226 specifies that any physician, physician's assistant or advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority who issues a prescription or standing order for epinephrine to an Illinois police department will not be subject to civil or professional liability for law enforcement’s misuse of the medication.

Another bill working its way through the General Assembly would help locate missing, at-risk veterans more quickly. If Senate Bill 2278 is signed into law, when a veteran who has a service-related health issue is reported missing, a notice will be sent to law enforcement and the public—just like an Amber Alert for an endangered missing child or a Silver Alert for a missing senior citizen. The Senate unanimously approved the legislation, which now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Finally, the Senate pushed through a bill that will allow domestic violence survivors who want to change their name to keep the name change out of the public record. Currently, anyone seeking a name change must publish notice of the name change in a local newspaper. As a result, their abusers can easily access that information to learn their victim’s new name from the published notice and, in some cases, continue with the abuse. Senate Bill 2330 would allow individuals seeking a name change to submit documentation demonstrating evidence of domestic abuse or stalking, so their information would remain confidential—eliminating potential associated safety risks.